Why Don't We
by mostlypsychotic
Summary: Seeing all the pressure that Lithuania's been under, Spain offers to take him to a little city where they won't be recognized to cool off and forget about their troubles for just a few days. It only takes one for it to mean this much to Lithuania.


"You want me to come with you? And just leave my country with no explanation?"

Spain should have known the reaction would have been something along those lines. He knew that little Lithuania was very work-oriented, and that making such a spontaneous, out-of-place request was so unusual to him that there was little chance he would accept. But the Spaniard was always optimistic about these sorts of things. It was worth a shot.  
"Yeah, I do!" he affirmed, grinning widely even with the Baltic's disapproving expression. "I mean, as long as you don't have any big meetings soon, you can slip off for a few days, can't you? I do it all the time!"

"That's because you're _you_, Spain," Lithuania argued, turning back to his cooking. "What if one of the officials needs me and I'm gone, hm? What happens then?" Spain sighed, shaking his head and hoisting himself up onto the counter to swing his legs a bit.

"This is exactly the problem," he explained, earning himself a glare but brushing it off swiftly. "Put a little faith in your officials, will you? All I'm asking is four, maybe five days of your company. And if they wonder where you've been, you can tell them! 'I went to New Zealand with Spain, that's all.' It'll be alright!"  
"New Zealand?! You said you wanted to go to a city!"

"Auckland _is _a city."

"That's not—" Lithuania groaned, taking the pot off of the stove and practically slamming it down next to his visitor. "That's the other side of the world, Spain."

"Exactly." Spain leaned back, the wafting scent of his friend's cooking making his mouth water. His entire goal had been to sneak off somewhere where they wouldn't be recognized, and just cool off in these stressful times. He doubted that Lithuania knew it, but they were under the same pressures these days, and he had noticed how the Baltic nation's shoulders were constantly tense and how he became angry at the most ridiculous things. He needed a break.

"Why me, anyway?!" Lithuania was saying irritably, grabbing some more ingredients and putting them away as he spoke. "What made you think to take me somewhere?!" The Spaniard chuckled, pushed himself off of the counter, and returned to his friend's side, reaching for his hand to stop him from moving for a second.

"Because you _deserve _it." There was an unfamiliar, serious look in his green eyes now, and it was enough to leave the room silent for a moment longer before Lithuania leaned forward and turned off the stove.

"When are we leaving?" Inwardly, Spain relaxed, pleased that he had finally made some headway, but simply hid the thought with a well-placed smile.

"Tonight."

At first, Lithuania thought about calling somebody, or even writing a note and leaving it in his foyer. But as he packed, the fantasy of simply disappearing with his most cheerful friend for a few days took over, and he couldn't help but smile a bit. New Zealand was a laid-back guy, and if they did run into him, it wasn't likely that he'd rat them out if they were just on a vacation. Not to mention, the island was absolutely beautiful, and...well, he would be with Spain. That was never a bad thing. He smiled more broadly now, snapping his bag closed and dragging it down the stairs to where the taller nation waited by the door.

"I'm ready," he announced, finding that the smile wasn't fading despite his best efforts. Sure enough, Spain chuckled a little, pushing the door open and sweeping his hand out towards where his car waited in the driveway.

"Way ahead of you. Let's get out of here."

For all the traveling he did, jet-lag hit Lithuania hard after they arrived. The time zone was quite different, he knew that, but he hadn't expected to be tired to the point of just falling onto the bed the moment they got to the hotel room. Spain sat at his side, patient as ever.

"You want some coffee?"

"I want to sleep," the Baltic grumbled into the pillow, though he instantly felt a little bad about his attitude. Spain merely hopped back up, seemingly unaffected, and clapped his hands together.

"Fair enough. But don't blame me if I go exploring while you're out, okay?"

Sure enough, when he woke up again, he was alone. On the bed beside him, his roommate had strategically left a stack of pamphlets for him to leaf through. Picking up the first one, Lithuania could only smile weakly at the cover.

"The Waitakere Ranges..." he read aloud, flipping through it and sighing. He really hoped that Spain didn't think he was ungrateful for bringing him here, just because he had been tired and moody a few hours before. He had never been so far from home just because he wanted to- or rather, because his friend wanted to. He rolled onto his back, staring up at the pamphlet until he heard the door click.

"I'm back!" Spain announced boisterously, a bag of snacks in his hand. "You're awake, good. Jet lag's rough, huh?" He took a seat on Lithuania's bed, grinning. "So, you saw that one? What do you think? Of course, if you'd rather not, there's plenty of other things to see. Your choice. But I rather liked that one. It's pretty, don't you think-"

"Spain."

The Spaniard's mile-a-minute speech was brought to a grinding halt by the sound of his name. Tilting his head a little, he looked down at where the Baltic lay, a weary smile on his face.

"Um...I'd love to. They look really nice. Let's go there in the morning, okay?"

"Ah? Great!" Spain beamed, slouching on the bed beside him. "We're gonna have a good time, I promise. I'll make you happy you came with me, okay?" Lithuania chuckled, moving to wrap an arm around his companion's waist.

_I already _am _happy I came with you. Can't you see that? _

"Okay," he murmured, ready to fall asleep again. As Spain rubbed the top of his head, he smiled once more, his eyes falling closed again. "Hey...thank you."


End file.
